Earth-Sized Planets May Be Everywhere - but How Many Are Earth-Like?

By Katherine

11/01/10 1:55 PM PT

"There’s a lot of a stars out there," said SLU Professor Paul Czysz. "How many of those suns could have planets around them where there could be liquid water? ... Of the stars they looked at -- maybe 50 to 100 light years away -- that's like going to Washington D.C., and when you get to 14th St., saying, 'I wonder if the whole U.S. is full of buildings like this." The reality is "you haven't gone very far." Nearly one in four stars similar to the sun may host planets as small as Earth, according to a new study funded by NASA and the University of California.

Astronomers used the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii for five years to search 166 sun-like stars near our solar system for planets of various sizes, ranging from three to 1,000 times the mass of Earth. The results show more small planets than large ones, indicating small planets are more prevalent in our Milky Way galaxy.

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft is surveying the sun-like stars for more planets and expecting to find another planet like ours.

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11/4/10

Written by Micah

The Nexus Two Rumors

Every one is saying the Nexus Two is the best and for most best there will be for 2010. With Google, Twitter, Facebook, and lots more. Samsung is working on an unlocked Google Android Smartphone that will work on any wireless carrier's network, according to Gizmodo. The device is said to be black and shiny and built with glossy plastic.

The phone feels similar to Samsung's Galaxy S and has a front-facing camera, according to Gizmodo, and it runs a stock build of Android.

There's speculation the Nexus Two will run Gingerbread, the latest version of the Android operating system, which is set to launch soon

I got this info from A Nexus Two Smartphone From Samsung? Fuhgeddaboutit!

11/03/10 Written By Micah

iPhone and Android Crush BlackBerry

By Rob

E-Commerce Times

Part of the ECT News Network

11/01/10 12:06 PM PT

The latest quarter saw an unwelcome shift in the smartphone market from Research in Motion's perspective. Once dominant with its BlackBerry line, RIM has slipped behind iPhone. Meanwhile, Google's Android OS powered the most smartphones shipped in the

I got my info from **iPhone and Android Crush BlackBerry**

11/5/10

Written by Micah

Written by Isabella

11/5/10

Supreme Court and the Violent Video Game Law

In 2005, people of California passed a law saying minors can’t rent or buy violent video games. Lower courts said no to this law, the government can only stop the sale of indecent or disgusting games to minors. It is unlikely the Supreme Court will overthrow the lower courts decision. They are thinking about if video games would be included in the First Amendment.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/71168.html

Facebook has introduced another new product to keep its 500 million user base engaged -- Friendship Pages, a new element to a Facebook page that displays content and connections shared between two friends. The page may contain photos in which they've both been tagged, wall posts, comments exchanged, events to which they've both RSVP'd, mutual friends and mutual "likes." Visitors can view the pages if they are friends with one of the people and have permission to view both profiles, according to Wayne Kao, the Facebook executive behind the project. Beyond that nod to privacy, though, it is unclear what other protections pertain to the offering. For instance, do both people need to give permission to create the page? Kao doesn't say.

By Austin

I got the info from http://www.technewsworld.com/

For more info click this. Facebook 'Friendship' Tool May Cause Some Squirming

11/03/10

4G true or not

As larger U.S. cell carriers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint scramble to build out new wireless technologies like LTE and WiMAX, T-Mobile has chimed in with the claim that its own 4G network is already in place and happens to be the largest in the country. However, T-Mobile's use of the term "4G" to describe its HSPA+ network has raised questions about what 4G actually means. There are no 4G technologies available yet, at least in the United States.

By Austin

I got info from http://www.technewsworld.com/story/4G-Whatever-You-Want-It-to-Be-71169.html

For more info click this.4G: Whatever You Want It to Be?

New Xbox Kinect

Microsoft expects to sell 5 million Kinect units by the end of 2010, the company confirmed to CNET today.

The demand for Kinect for Xbox 360 is exceeding expectations," a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. "So we're increasing our forecast from 3 million sensors sold this holiday to 5 million. That's bigger than any launch in Xbox history.

By Austin

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/gaming-and-culture/?tag=hdr;snav#ixzz14JfXJ6Kp